Massaro, long-ball play key roles in East Holmes’ 11-0 win over Tuscarawas County
The contest between East Holmes and Tuscarawas County in Williamsport 12U All-Star action on Friday, July 8, pitted a pair of undefeated teams looking to secure a spot in the Final Four of the District IV tournament.
Bryan Yoder made an early statement for East Holmes. Noah Sommers provided the exclamation point. And in between the home runs that each player hit, East Holmes pitcher Mitch Massaro was nearly flawless. It all spelled an 11-0 victory for East Holmes, all but sewing up a top seed as Final Four competition looms.
Massaro gave up a lead-off double to Tuscarawas County, EH Jarrett Helter, and then set down 12 of the next 13 batters he faced, allowing only a single to Gino Shupbach in the third. All told, the big righthander struck out seven and walked none, allowing only the two hits in a game in which he was absolutely dominant.
Meanwhile, after Massaro escaped in the first inning unscathed, teammate Derek Miller reached on an error — the first of six by Tuscarawas County — with two outs, and Yoder made pitcher Dalton Bolon pay the price, belting a two-run home run to center field to spot East Holmes to a 2-0 lead.
“I was looking for something on the inside half of the plate, and I knew I hit it good right away,” said Yoder. “I was glad I could help set a tone for the game. (Bolon) threw pretty hard, and I was glad I could get around on something.”
While Massaro was busy doing his thing on the mound, his teammates continued to hit the ball and give him plenty of run support. Kurtis Yoder walked to lead off the second, and came around to score on an error to make it 3-0 East Holmes. In the third, Tyson Gingerich reached on an error, went to second on a bunt single by Chris Kline, and came around to score on Derek Miller’s single. Kline scored on Sommers’ ground out and Miller crossed the plate when Yoder spanked a single to make it 6-0.
Massaro plowed through the heart of the Tusc. County order in the fifth, and in the bottom, East Holmes unloaded. Braden Mast started things with a rifle shot to center for a single. Gingerich followed with a beautiful bunt single, and Kline then laced a single to center to plate Mast. Miller singled in a run with a sharp shot to left, Yoder then reached on an error and plated the ninth run of the game, and Sommers took care of the rest, blasting a Bolon pitch to center over the fence for a walk-off home run. It marked the second tater of the tournament for Sommers.
“I’m just trying to go up there with confidence right now and hit the ball hard,” said Sommers. “It seems like every time I connect they are going out.” Sommers’ tear comes on the heels of a Holmes County Little League final, which saw him smoke two homers.
“Bryan’s home run in the first was pretty key,” said East Holmes coach John Mast. “I think it definitely took some of the pressure off of us. Their kid threw well, so it was good to see us up there attacking like we did.”
As for Massaro, Mast said that he threw about as well as he has ever seen him throw, using a dominant fast ball and locating his pitches well.
“That was about as good as you’ll see at this level,” said Mast of Massaro.
Massaro said that the early double was a wake-up call for him, noting that it helped him focus in on the task at hand even more.
“They are a very good team, and I knew I’d have to throw well to give us a chance,” said Massaro, who said his arm had been hurting several days earlier before he was able to take a few days off and get some rest. “I stayed mostly with the fast ball, and tried to move it around the corners. It seemed like everything I tried worked out there tonight.”
And once his teammates got him the big lead, Massaro remained zeroed in on the very things that had worked for him all game.
“The approach stays the same no matter what the score is,” said Massaro. “You go out there and throw strikes, get ahead, and let your defense make plays. We’ve got a solid group on defense.”
The win moved East Holmes to 3-0 in the tournament, and Tuscarawas County fell to 3-1. With one game left to play in round robin play, both teams have locked up a spot in the Final Four, so these two teams could well meet again, and East Holmes knows it hasn’t seen the best Tuscarawas County has to offer.
“They’re a good team,” said Mast. “They are better than what we saw today, and we would never take them lightly.”
Bryan Yoder made an early statement for East Holmes. Noah Sommers provided the exclamation point. And in between the home runs that each player hit, East Holmes pitcher Mitch Massaro was nearly flawless. It all spelled an 11-0 victory for East Holmes, all but sewing up a top seed as Final Four competition looms.
Massaro gave up a lead-off double to Tuscarawas County, EH Jarrett Helter, and then set down 12 of the next 13 batters he faced, allowing only a single to Gino Shupbach in the third. All told, the big righthander struck out seven and walked none, allowing only the two hits in a game in which he was absolutely dominant.
Meanwhile, after Massaro escaped in the first inning unscathed, teammate Derek Miller reached on an error — the first of six by Tuscarawas County — with two outs, and Yoder made pitcher Dalton Bolon pay the price, belting a two-run home run to center field to spot East Holmes to a 2-0 lead.
“I was looking for something on the inside half of the plate, and I knew I hit it good right away,” said Yoder. “I was glad I could help set a tone for the game. (Bolon) threw pretty hard, and I was glad I could get around on something.”
While Massaro was busy doing his thing on the mound, his teammates continued to hit the ball and give him plenty of run support. Kurtis Yoder walked to lead off the second, and came around to score on an error to make it 3-0 East Holmes. In the third, Tyson Gingerich reached on an error, went to second on a bunt single by Chris Kline, and came around to score on Derek Miller’s single. Kline scored on Sommers’ ground out and Miller crossed the plate when Yoder spanked a single to make it 6-0.
Massaro plowed through the heart of the Tusc. County order in the fifth, and in the bottom, East Holmes unloaded. Braden Mast started things with a rifle shot to center for a single. Gingerich followed with a beautiful bunt single, and Kline then laced a single to center to plate Mast. Miller singled in a run with a sharp shot to left, Yoder then reached on an error and plated the ninth run of the game, and Sommers took care of the rest, blasting a Bolon pitch to center over the fence for a walk-off home run. It marked the second tater of the tournament for Sommers.
“I’m just trying to go up there with confidence right now and hit the ball hard,” said Sommers. “It seems like every time I connect they are going out.” Sommers’ tear comes on the heels of a Holmes County Little League final, which saw him smoke two homers.
“Bryan’s home run in the first was pretty key,” said East Holmes coach John Mast. “I think it definitely took some of the pressure off of us. Their kid threw well, so it was good to see us up there attacking like we did.”
As for Massaro, Mast said that he threw about as well as he has ever seen him throw, using a dominant fast ball and locating his pitches well.
“That was about as good as you’ll see at this level,” said Mast of Massaro.
Massaro said that the early double was a wake-up call for him, noting that it helped him focus in on the task at hand even more.
“They are a very good team, and I knew I’d have to throw well to give us a chance,” said Massaro, who said his arm had been hurting several days earlier before he was able to take a few days off and get some rest. “I stayed mostly with the fast ball, and tried to move it around the corners. It seemed like everything I tried worked out there tonight.”
And once his teammates got him the big lead, Massaro remained zeroed in on the very things that had worked for him all game.
“The approach stays the same no matter what the score is,” said Massaro. “You go out there and throw strikes, get ahead, and let your defense make plays. We’ve got a solid group on defense.”
The win moved East Holmes to 3-0 in the tournament, and Tuscarawas County fell to 3-1. With one game left to play in round robin play, both teams have locked up a spot in the Final Four, so these two teams could well meet again, and East Holmes knows it hasn’t seen the best Tuscarawas County has to offer.
“They’re a good team,” said Mast. “They are better than what we saw today, and we would never take them lightly.”
Published: July 8, 2011
